Countless number of people joined the funeral procession of the late Chairman of the Expediency Council Ayatollah Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjan in the Iranian capital, Tehran.

Swathes of mourners gathered in the streets of Tehran around Tehran University to partake in the funeral procession for the former president of Iran who was also chairman of the Expediency Council. The Iranian people marked the departure of a cleric today that was the symbol of unity among various political groups.

Top ranking officials and prominent figures from various political groups attended the funeral ceremony for the late ayatollah in order to prove that they will continue following him even after his departure.

The Iranian flag was flown at half-mast at the Iranian embassies across the globe on the sad occasion. Ambassadors and diplomats went to Iranian missions in Vienna, Belgrade, Sarajevo, Mexico City, Guangzhou, Shanghai, Beijing, Hanoi, Madrid, Ankara, Istanbul, Baku, Kuala Lumpur, Islamabad, Beirut, New Delhi, Hyderabad, Bombei, Aktau, Jakarta, Tokyo, Damascus, Kabul, Moscow, Brunei, Zimbabwe and Australia to sign memorial books for the late ayatollah in a sign of sympathy with the Iranian people and government.

In this regard, Euronews, the European news media service, started broadcasting Ayatollah Rafsanjani's funeral ceremony at 09:00 (local time) before the start of the event. Al Jazeera English wrote, “Thousands gather for Rafsanjani's funeral in Tehran,” as well.

France's AFP, another Western news agency, reported, 'Thousands throng Iran's Rafsanjani funeral.' American TV channel of CNN during its reports described Ayatollah Rafsanjani as a 'political giant.'

Ayatollah Rafsanjani died on January 8 (Sunday) in a Tehran hospital at the age of 82 following a heart attack. The family of Ayatollah Rafsanjani decided to have him buried in the mausoleum of his friend and mentor, the founder of the Islamic Republic of Iran the Late Imam Khomeini in the south of the capital, Tehran.